Modern Pentathlon

COMPETITION: Men only in five events in five days: 600-meter horseback ride over obstacles; fencing with epees; 300-meter swim; rapid-fire pistol shooting; and 4,000-meter cross country run.

-- EQUIPMENT: Horseback riders must wear safety headgear and dress in hunt or national uniform with jacket, collar, tie and breeches. English-type saddles are mandatory. A .22 caliber rapid-fire pistol is used for shooting.

-- KEY RULES: Riding: If a rider goes clean in 1 minute, 43 seconds, he finishes with 1,100 points. If he takes longer than 3:26 he gets 0.

Fencing: The only event where competitors meet head-to-head. Rules are the same as Olympic fencing, except that one touch (not five) decides bouts. (If 3-minute time limit expires, both fencers are considered defeated). A competitor winning 70 percent of his matches earns 1,000 points.

Shooting: Competitors fire 20 shots from a .22 calibre pistol at a rotating, silhouetted target 25 meters away. A shooter must keep his arm at a 45-degree angle until the target faces him; he then has 3 seconds to fire before the target disappears for 7 seconds. Perfect scores of 200 have been posted only twice in the games. A 194 is worth 1,000 points, with each point plus or minus worth 22 points. Same weapon must be used throughout, and bullets must be of lead or lead alloy. (No correcting lenses on sights are allowed).

Swimming: Competitors swim 354 yards with those near them in the overall standings. (Any swimmer causing a third false start is penalized 5 seconds). Completing the swim in 3 minutes, 54 seconds is good for 1,000 points. Each second plus or minus is worth eight points.

Running: A 2 1/2-mile cross-country run. A time of 14 minutes, 15 seconds earns 1,000 points. Each second plus or minus is worth three points. No refreshments or use of short-range radio transmitters to provide information are permitted.

-- STRATEGY: Like the decathlon in track and field, each competitor is striving for personal bests in each event. It is not necessary to win each individual event to win the overall competition.

-- OTHERS TO WATCH: France`s Joel Bouzou is the world champion and the gold medal favorite. Also watch for Italians Carlo Massullo and Daniele Masala. Hungary and the Soviet Union will battle for the team gold.